Exiled Traitor
by GravyMassacre
Summary: Accused for being a thief once again, Percy flees from camp hoping to find peace. During his escape, an unknown being visits his dream, promising harmony. Little did he know, this visitor had something else in mind. Meanwhile all this is happening, Olympus boils in turmoil in yet another war. In the end, it all comes down to one question. Can Percy truly escape his fatal flaw?
1. Chapter 1

**_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_**

 ** _ **This is my first story. Please review**_**

 _ **Chapter One**_

The faint whistle of moving leaves was the only thing heard in the forest. The moon's rays gave the limbs and branches a little life. Even the barren ground lay unshaken and quiet. So quiet that it seemed lifeless. For mortals, this would've been a perfect date, a small adventure into the peaceful tree lines. Unfortunately, the moment of serene never lasts, especially for demigods.

The serenity of the night was destroyed when a boy stumbled into the forest. He dodged and weaved under branches and hopped bare footed over roots and patches of leaves. A torn t-shirt hung from his chest and only got worst as branches hooked onto it, tearing it more.

Perhaps, he shouldn't have gone through the forest, the domain only slowed the exasperated boy. Though the turf was his only chance for them to lose his track. And that chance was slim.

In the distance, howls of despair escaped the nights sky. The boy was fresh meat. The mere thought of being torn apart like meat only pushed him harder. His endurance was failing him. Only adrenaline and self-preservation kept him moving.

In desperation, the boy whooped in gulps of oxygen and tried to shake off his predators by changing his course of directions in crooked zigzags. It wasn't working. In fact the footsteps behind him only got louder. Once a wolf gets ahold of your scent, a game of hide and seek won't do. So while he concentrated on his next steps, he helplessly tried to come up with a solution.

Fortunately an idea blossomed. A risky one but better than nothing. He couldn't run forever, his limbs were on their final lives.

With that, he approached the nearest puddle of mud he could find. He didn't like what was to come next but did it anyways. What other option did he have. Despite the pain aching all over, he quickly dropped down and rolled around two times, making sure he was completely covered by the mucky substance before racing to the nearing tree. Time is essential. And time is running out.

The ground shook deeper a the horde closed in on him faster by the minute. With his last conserved energy, he made his final push to mantle the tree towards the peak, holding on tightly to each limb as if it was his lifeline. Once he reached the top, he took one final breath despite the lack of oxygen.

Silence was key. Hunters weren't the people you want to underestimate. Even the faintest gulp can alert them. Once they locate you, there's no escape.

A chill went down the boy's spine as a rough group of hunters and hostile beasts hurtled towards the little clearing where the boy spied from above. He quietly observed the silver hoods and fury figures rush pass his tree.

That's when the mud went into play. He could clearly hear the frustrated growls emitted by the creatures as they tried to sniff him out. They had his scent but they didn't have his new one. Though he much prefer his old one, that is without the savage wolves on his trail.

Now all he needed to do was to keep quiet. The fact that he hadn't made any noise yet surprised him. In dire situations, primal instinct took over. It was a good thing. The intuitions had saved his life many times. And by the looks of it, was doing so again.

The pack had completely whisk by the extent in which the boy hid. It was as if they completely ignored the area being fully sure he wasn't there. They didn't even pay any mind to their surroundings for any clues; his trace of mud was a big one.

His body loosened as he started breathing in heavy breaths seeing as no hunters were in sight.

Though something nagged at the back of his head. That was easy, he thought. He had expected them to find him. The more he wandered in his thoughts, the puzzle pieced together. It was too easy.

"Move and you'll die boy," the boy froze as he felt a cold metal press against his throat.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Important A/N**_ _ **: The story takes place after the first and before the second series of Percy Jackson. I've made some changes in my story also. Zoe gets saved instead of dying and Thalia is still a camper. Percy does not have the curse of Achilles. Percy is still dating Annabeth but the pairing will not be with her. Another A/N at the end of chapter for more details.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_

 _ **Chapter Two**_

"Is this how you treat men who have saved your life," the boy spoke in a slight humorous manner. That certainly was no way to speak towards any hunters of Artemis, though the situation at present can allow a few exceptions. He knew that voice, the very one who kinda-befriended him (still wasn't sure, she is after all most known for the reputation of hating on the male population the most out all other hunters) after all those years ago.

"Perseus," the lieutenant of Artemis paused, completely throwing his little drollery out of the window, drawing the boy who was called Perseus to turn around.

"Zoe," was his only response as her face and features were revealed. Stood there from all its glory the very huntress he not only manage to save but end in good terms as well.

Zoe stood tall and graceful, her dark brown eyes gazed down into his, trying to distinguish him now and from the boy she quested with 3 years ago.

"You must come with me boy, camp half-blood is in a bewilderment state and Olympus grows furious at their missing her-demigod," she spoke roughly this time while pronouncing the word boy harshly.

Completely unfazed by the sternness in her tone, Perseus's features soften; he only wishes for the truth. "Please tell me the truth Zoe, do you actually believe the rumors running down the halls up on Olympus," he spoke morosely, on the edge of breaking down into despair, afraid of her response and all the others who would eventually receive news of these rumors if they haven't already.

For a moment, the immortal hunter's expression lighten, her eyes switched to that of sympathy, but as quickly as that little flicker her face harden once more finally responding to his question, "Rumors can be true, although they can also be false. I am neutral on this situation. As for the others I am not to chose for them, instead to follow orders from milady." As her words were sinking into the grieving figure, Zoe quickly tied his hands together before he can make an attempt to escape.

Upon arrival of the hunter's campment, Zoe quickly went to inform Artemis while the other hunters watched him.

At that moment Perseus felt slightly disturbed and only dishearten more seeing as many of them gave him that look of promising death. They were murmuring inaudibly things amongst each other while glaring coldly towards him. Thankfully Zoe commanded them to be silent while she went to get Artemis hence the murmuring instead of being scolded at. So he stood there silently waiting.

 _What have I done to deserve this? Why couldn't I just settle down for once? And be with Annabeth?_

That's when it struck him.

 _What would she thi-_

"Ahem," Perseus was quickly brought back to life by the sudden commanding sound emitted in front of him. The boy didn't even need to share a slight glance to acknowledge who it was. He immediately lowered his head and bent his knees to show respect. He certainly did not want to be at the mercy of an overly furious man-hating goddess.

"Stand up and follow me," Artemis ordered sharply and instantly headed for one of the tents slightly away at what looked like the hunter's portable shelters.

From what he could remember from last time, the tents of the hunt used mind tricks making the exterior look smaller than the interior. Perseus was proven right when he entered through the flap of the tent.

In the middle of the room, a single wooden chair lay tattered and worn out looking like it was on its death bed. A single portable lamp lit up the interior, giving it a bit of life.

Perseus sat on the chair making it squeak a bit. Artemis placed herself in front of him while Zoe positioned herself at one of the corners still facing him.

Finally taking a good look at the goddess that was about to interrogate him, he saw a young girl about the average age of her hunters, around twelve-thirteen years old . Her auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail, and she wore black leggings with a silver tunic. Although she looked young, she was anything but innocent; her cold and bright silvery-yellow eyes which resembles a cold winter night bore him down, daring Perseus to move.

No one should ever mistaken her for an innocent child, not unless you wanted to die and if that were the case, you'd suddenly find yourself walking on all fours with an arrow stuck on your back while her vicious wolves hunt you down ready to sink its fangs into the fresh meat as you take your final breathe while you soak in your blood. Yes, those stories were all true, which didn't help with the anxiety Perseus was currently experiencing.

"Where is it, boy?" Artemis spoke roughly.

The broken boy spared a short glance then returned back to look at the ground.

"It would be unwise to lie to me," the man-hater continued, her voice laced with poison.

Truth to be told, Perseus was terrified. He didn't want to speak, he'd tell her the truth yet she would end up refusing to listen anyways. Just like the others. What was the point in asking the same questions if the results would never change until you were told what you desired to hear even if it wasn't true. Even Apollo seemed too oblivious.

For Hades sake, Apollo was a living lie detector.

And so Perseus sat there in silence, delaying the inevitable.

On the other hand, delaying the inevitable was exactly what the goddess did not do. Growing impatient, Artemis snapped, taking his head then proceeded to bash it against the top rail of the chair.

"YOU DARE!" the infuriated goddess shouted brutally.

Completely surprised by the sudden anger radiating through her lady, Zoe swiftly in one motion went to hold her lady back.

"Milady, they want him alive," she reasoned. If it was any other hunter who did this, they'd be dead by now.

Artemis completely changed her focus onto something else, though not because her loyal lieutenant but because an abrupt surge of pressure pressing against her mind. She fell on her knees, hands gripping her head as her gritted teeth let a screech of agony.

Zoe hurriedly grabbed her mistress and ran out of the tent yelling for medic. In all of her immortal life, she had never seen such unusual occurrence. Too busy worrying about her mistress, Zoe thoroughly forgot about an injured Perseus.

 **\- Linebreak-**

" _Do not worry child, it will be alright,"_ someone whispered gently.

The sunny glint made it hard for Perseus to open his eyes. He felt warm and safe at last. The pain at the back of his head subsided.

He sighed, this was what he needed, his thoughts of Olympus slowly faded. Perseus layed there for sometime until he finally decided to get up now that his eyes were adjusted with the level of brightness that surrounded him.

He found himself on plain land, the hot sun blazed in the bright sky filled with little to no clouds. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air around him.

" _Enjoying the view?"_ the same voice flowed all around the boy.

"Certainly," Perseus responded, a little sadden of the absence silence.

After a long pause the being spoke again, " _Perseus, I believe you,"_

At first Perseus was confused as to why he or she would think he would lie to such unimportant question, though his face flushed red as he realised that he or she wasn't talking about the question he had answered a few moments ago.

"You seemed to be the only one to believe me," he replied sadly, remembering fully the situation he was in.

" _I can help you, escape from Artemis_ , _from the gods,"_

"No disrespect but I mean is that even possible? No matter where I go, what i do, they seem to appear out of nowhere asking me to save them or they're the ones trying to kill me,"

" _Of course it is possible,"_

"And if you manage to help me, what would be the twist? Every god demands a fee. Who are you anyways?"

" _Who I am does not matter, I am no god and I do not demand any fee. You're free go, live a normal life,"_ the being who was apparently not a god spoke again leaving him no room to reply. " _My time is running out. When you wake up, you'll find yourself gone from camp. I will send someone to visit you. It's time to wake up."_

 _ **A/N (for those who actually read my story):**_ _**Firstly, I didn't bring up the timeline of the story because I wasn't planning on continuing it. I just wanted to know what people thought about my writing and fortunately 5 reviews came in, all of them were positive :D (is 5 a lot? Let me know) so I decided to continue this story (didn't expect anyone to like what I wrote). Pairing will not be Annabeth. I would preferably have Zoe pair up with Percy but I'll let those who actually read my story decide. Pairs can be: Zoe, Artemis, Reyna, Piper, and Thalia. PM me or review with your vote. I'll also take a suggestion from a fellow reviewer. If you want to be a beta for my story PM me, preferably those who can help with fight scenes and a little in the romantic department. Though any beta is up for grabs. (I'm really new to this) Since my story wasn't planned yet, it will take some time to post a new chapter (I write pretty slowly too). I'm also curious about what you guys might suggest my age would be base on my writing. Anyways please review, it's the only thing keeping me from continuing :( I want to know if my chapter felt rushed or not and maybe you guys can give me some advice to improve my writing.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hades and Hestia do not have their own throne. A new character is up for pairing with Percy, please review with your vote.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_

 _ **Chapter Three**_

Today was a sad day for mortals. Cars filled up the damp roads of Manhattan as more and more joined the ongoing traffic that seemed to never end. They were tired mortals, hurriedly on their way back home from work and the downpour made it longer to reach their destinations. Some would get drenched by the passing cars that zoomed their way through the little overflows streaming down just at the edge of the each route. Many children would have been back from school already, staring out the runny windows now that their plans were put to hold.

They could hear the boundless raindrops that fall down continuously, and the thunderous booms scattered across the dark sky. At one point, the rage above grew so strong that it appeared to produce a remarkably strong lightning strike that even someone who's deaf and blind knew better to find a safe shelter.

The human mind would process that strike as an occasional thunder which most likely hit near by. Though for the twelve unique individuals who were given their own set of domains processed that large thunder as an urgent request of attendance up on Olympus.

Just above the Empire State Building, hidden from the eyes of mortals, temples full of gold and ivory settled stationary on a metaphysical mountain detached from the ground below. Olympus didn't have its usual cast of shining glow which meant only one thing. The ruler of Olympus was not happy.

Located at the peak of such metaphysical mountain, hidden by the mist, was the throne room. Zeus, the current king, sat on his throne frustrated by the sudden turn of events happening lately. Firstly, their supposedly hero for some unknown reason decided to betray them, which brang tension between him and Poseidon. Not only that, he has also been getting these unusual pain in his mind. At the beginning, these aches were minor so he would shrug them off and forget about them but as the days pass by they would get worst and worst and unpredictable. At one point it was so bad that it felt as if his head was trying to split itself in half.

At the urgent request of a meeting, flashes quickly filled the room. To Zeus's left, Poseidon materialized beside him with his trident at hand in case a fight might break through between each other. To Zeus's right, emerged a striking figure that belonged to his lovely wife, Hera, queen of Olympus. She didn't look too happy, still a little sore about the outcome of saving the camp's boundary tree. The other nine Olympians appeared as well. No one dared to be late. They had all felt the faint wavering electricity that loomed in the mighty wind; now was not a time to fool around.

"Now that we are all here, the meeting may start," Zeus announced aloud.

"This meeting was conjured to discuss the event my dear daughter has encounter during her task," he led his hands towards Artemis, signalling her to share her story.

"As many of you know, I have been given the task of finding Perseus issued by the council themselves," Artemis clarified her topic, glancing at everyone.

"During my quest with the hunt, we had manage to find and follow little traces Perseus left behind. Eventually we located him and of course contained him. Though during his interrogations preceded by I myself, I experienced a sudden blow in my head. While I was recovering from that blow away from the tent, Perseus had somehow managed to escape," she said bitterly.

Uproar filled the room. Either they were angry or questioning how he had managed this. Though, the twelve year old did notice the little smirk Poseidon hid behind his masked face.

"There was no way he left the tent without the help of a stronger being because my hunters were guarding it," Artemis said assuredly.

"Which means, it appears we may possibly have a second traitor among us."

Gasps filled the air.

"During the time I left the interrogation tent, my hunters noticed that it had gotten a bit darker around Perseus's area, as dark as a shadow can be," Artemis concluded.

"Hades," Zeus shouted.

"But, why would our brother do such a thing," Poseidon questioned. It was not because he wasn't grateful, but the sole reason for Hades's action. Last he could remember, Hades still disliked the boy.

"Hermes go fetch Hades, tell him it's important," the king demanded.

"Father, I'm not done. The ache that happened when Perseus escaped, it was unusual and strange. Never have I ever felt such pain. Not even Apollo knew what was wrong," Artemis spoke aloud again.

"Hmm, it seems like I'm not the only one experiencing these episodes."

The others nodded confirming they've been in the same situation.

"Athena?" Zeus looked towards his daughter adversely.

Athena, who was observing the entire situation in quiet, finally spoke, "It is only a theory father. Highly unlikely, though possible."

"Go on,"

"The hypothetical reason we have been experiencing these attacks is simply because our Roman aspects are trying to take control of our mind and body," she went on.

The throne room went into turbulence.

"But, that's impossible,"

"All their memories were wiped,"

"Those who knew about this have sealed an oath,"

"That mea-"

"Silence!" Zeus shouted commandingly, silencing everyone which allowed Athena to explain further on.

"The only logical explanation to this would suggest of the Greeks and Romans discovery of each other's existence."

"This must be hades's doings, not only did he help Per-" the king was cut off.

"Help who? Brother," Hades, the only one who was daring enough to cut off the king except Hera of course, asked upon his arrival.

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHO HADES,"

"Why am I to always blame, I did nothing to help this demigod you speak of,"

"Don't lie to me brother, only you can control the shadows that well,"

"I've helped you win in the previous war, there is no reason to try to overthrow you now,"

Apollo nodded in the direction of his father, confirming that Hades was indeed not lying.

"I want everyone to search for Perseus. Artemis continue your hunt, Hermes and Apollo go inform the camp that if they ever see this boy, they are to capture him and if not kill him," a furious Zeus appointed still a little suspicious about Hades.

 **Linebreak**

 **At Camp Halfblood**

"What do you means he's a traitor!"

Uproar filled the air at camp half blood. Their hero was accused of betraying them. At first many did not believed such insolence, though gradually people started to believe it. After all it was Apollo and Hermes who announced it. They had no reason to lie; especially Apollo.

During this crisis at camp, a few campers still never believed such ruse. These campers were loyal to Percy and perhaps close friends. _Why would Percy even do this?_

Once the crowd died down, Hermes continued his message, "It was ordered from Zeus himself to capture Perseus at first site. If he gives any difficulty to restrain, he is to be murdered as a last resort."

"You can't be serious my lord, he's a hero; our hero. There's no way he would turn on our backs." one of the campers yelled aloud.

"His fatal flaw is loyalty. Someone must of framed him." another followed up.

"The Golden Fleece was found missing on the day of his disappearance. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is. If he hasn't done anything wrong, why is he running from us?" Apollo countered back.

Meanwhile all this was happening, Leo, a new camper, was questioning which side he trusted. Either join the minority which included his friends like Piper and Nico or join the majority. He has seen the way his friends spoke highly of Percy, though Leo never really witness such accomplishments which made him lean a little towards the other campers. Cruel or not, he didn't even know this Percy they keep talking about and it made him a bit jealous. However one thing Leo knew for sure is that he wants them to speak of him in such way. So he promised himself to do just that.

 **Linebreak**

 **At the hunter's camp**

"Milady, do you really believe Perseus would do this?" Zoe whispered. She wasn't sure if she should've asked that question.

Artemis stopped aiming at her target and look intentively at her lieutenant. "Yes of course. His disappearance is enough evidence to label him traitor."

For a moment all was silent.

"Let me guess, we're going to chase him down again."

The goddess only nodded in agreement.

"Go inform the others."

With a sigh faint enough so the goddess wouldn't hear, Zoe turned and left to notify her fellow sisters.

Artemis watched her leave in worry.

 _Remember what Heracles did_ , she reminded herself.

 **Linebreak**

A cold breeze sneaked its way through little cracks and into the room making Percy shiver. He naturally pulled the covers closer, snuggling deeper. Percy laid there quietly in warmth, enjoying the peace.

Unfortunately his nap was cut short when a beam of sunlight crept its way into the unknown location, illuminating the room as the door slowly opened.

The boy only groaned, "Not now. Please leave."

In response he heard a little giggle.

 _Wait a second, that wasn't Sally_.

Percy quickly open his eyes despite the bright rays of whom only goal seems to be to annoy the grumpy boy. His vision was still a tad bit blurry.

"Get up, breakfast is ready," a sweet voice spoke softly.

Once Percy's eyes fixed itself, his instinct made him look around and acknowledge his surroundings.

The room was empty except for the bed he slept on of course. The walls were made up of lifeless logs stacked over each other, empty of windows. The colors of the bark were faded out and taunted people to peel the covering off. Just a level below, the ongoing pattern of wrinkled wooden tiles and rusted nails was stopped abruptly by a skin rug. It's dark fur stretched just in front of the door like it was trying to mimic a flying squirrel. A dark figure cast over it, surrounded by rays of sunlight.

It took Percy a long squint to identify the newcomer.

She looked around his age, sixteen-seventeen at most and was strikingly attractive. Long loose waves of hair was left tumbling down and partially covered her facial features. Her captivating sooty-black eyes shined in tranquility. She had a refined nose and pretty pink lips curled up in a light smile. A black sheer poncho envelope her shirt and soft, glowing skin with the perfect curves. As much as he didn't want to agree, she was breathtaking. Even more beautiful than Annabeth.

"You drool when you sleep."

Blood slowly crept up his cheeks as he raised his hand to instinctively wiped his mouth.

"Umm…"

"Oh right, Aleta, daughter of Melinoe. Nice to meet you," the newcomer shot him a smile, showing her white teeth.

"Hey I'm P-" the boy was interrupted.

"Percy, ya I know. Hero of Olympus," Aleta finished his sentence.

"Where I am?"

"Alaska,"

To say Percy was shocked was understatement.

 _How in world did he end up here? Why was he even here?_

"Ok… Why exactly am I in Alaska?"

"You silly, you're here so I can take care of you. Now hurry up the food is getting cold," she left through the door leaving no time for anymore questions.

Percy quickly got out of bed and followed her out. Either she was too alluring to not follow or simply because he was starving, one reason or the other it didn't matter he followed her anyways.

As he left the room, the smell of bacon stumbled across his sense making his stomach growl. The kitchen was located at the far corner of the room and another door can be seen a little further away from his. He could only guess that was her room.

Aleta sat at a circular table near the kitchen, waiting patiently for him to come and sit across from her.

"So Aleta, when am I going back?" Percy sat down, poking the scrambled eggs unsure if it was tampered with. She did say she was the daughter of Melinoe.

"Going back? Didn't she tell you, you can be free from the grips of Olympus."

The boy stopped playing with his food and focused on Aleta and her claims.

"Who is this 'she' anyways? Why do you even need to take care of me? I can handle myself."

Aleta sighed.

"If you want to escape the God's clutches, you're going to have to train," Aleta's expression turned sympathetic as she completely ignored his first question.

"Wait, so 'you' are going to train me?" uncertainty was evident in his voice.

 _Was this a good thing or a bad thing?_

 _ **A/N: I'm adding Aleta for possible pairing, review with your vote (Zoe, Artemis, Reyna, Thalia, Piper, Aleta). Took a while for me to update because I have exams coming up and I need to study. Hopefully I'll update every week or so only if you guys are enjoying my story. There was a lot of dialog in this chapter and honestly I dislike writing long dialogs. And please review, it's the only thing encouraging me to continue. Tell me if the dialog was fine or not, perhaps some suggestions. Anyways, have a great life.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Pairing is still being decided (Reyna, Zoe, Aleta, Piper, Artemis, Thalia). Review with your vote. Next chapter will be in maybe 2-3 weeks and hopefully I can make the chapter longer.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_

 _ **Chapter Four**_

With a vigorous screech, Percy leaped and hacked.

Aleta stepped back and parried. She slashed backhanded in return.

Percy thrust his blade vertically and caught it before it cut him in half and stumbled backwards.

He thought desperately of a way to fight back. Percy was a great fighter, but never in his life has he seen a demigod with such strength that seemed to almost match Atlas himself.

Aleta hit him again. Her sword slipped past his defenses and jabbed towards his corps.

Percy dodged, sweat dripped down his face. This girl was not making it any easy for him.

They continued bettering; their weapons caught high in the air. Percy used all his strength to match his opponent.

Aleta mocked, "They tried to kill you! Their own hero!"

As if her words stabbed him in the heart, Percy growled. He pushed harder, catching Aleta off-guard at the new sudden power; it overwhelmed her.

Aleta shuffled backwards, edging closer to the border of the cliff.

Percy kicked her legs and swiped her weapon. Aleta's sword flung out of her grasp as she fell on her back.

"Yield," his blade rested at her throat. His blazing eyes gradually replaced itself with its old serene sea-green orbs.

"I yield," Aleta said, ending their spar.

"Hah! I beat you!" Percy bantered and gave her his hand.

She gladly took it and lifted herself up, "About time. Only took you about a gazillion tries. Lost count after the first few dozens."

"But, I still beat you!" he continued his proclamation with both hands raised high in the air.

"I'll tell you what, first one to reach the house wins this spar. At least you'll have the chance to win this time."

Aleta smirked, "You're so on."

Percy quickly ran off into the distance.

Aleta's smile faded while watching him disappear into the distance.

It was time.

It hurt her to see Percy so joyful and completely oblivious to what was actually going on. She has been getting closer to him since their first encounter. And no matter how hard she tried distance herself, it never seemed to work. Percy was a living magnet to her. Aleta wished she hadn't met him, she was only ruining him. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she had no choice in the matter. If she didn't have to do this, she would've immediately told him the truth without a second thought. But that wasn't the case for her. One thought keeps crossing her mind and she used this to reasoned herself for the sins she has committed.

Later that night, they both sat silently by a cliff. Aleta had her head resting on the boy's shoulder as they gazed off into the horizon.

Percy silently glanced at the girl resting next to him. The girl who's been taking care of him since the very first day of his escape. The girl who's trained him for about a year now. The girl who's taken his heart. This girl was named Aleta.

Though even if she had stolen his heart, there was still a little bit of doubt hidden in that thick head of his. And no matter how hard he tried to lock this doubt up into the dark abyss far away, it would pop back up out of nowhere haunting him. Regardless of how sweet and caring Aleta can be, Percy still had this gut feeling that she was trying to hide something from him. She wouldn't tell him who this being is, the very one he'd visit every few nights or so. She couldn't even tell him what he was training for.

"Percy, what are you thinking about?" Aleta whispered softly, breaking Percy out of his thoughts.

"Just a certain daughter of Melinoe,"

Aleta smiled, "What about this daughter of Melinoe you speak of?"

"Oh I don't know… Perhaps the reason why I seemed to lose trust in her," the girl's smile morphed away.

Their conversation quickly turned from happy land to tartarus just in a snap.

Aleta lifted her head and stared into the familiar sea-green orbs she's gotten use to in confusion, "What do you mean? Did I do something? I'm sorry."

"You don't trust me. We've been at each other's sides for about a year now and you can't even answer a simple question," Percy answered in a monotone. He bored into her eyes looking for any hint of deception.

Aleta froze.

"Percy, I-I-I'm so sorry." her voice trembled.

"It's complicated. I would tell you Percy, trust me please, but i-it's just that I made a pro-promise," she turned around facing away from him, now with her hands to her face. She was on the verge of tears.

As much as he wanted his answers, Percy couldn't help but to not ignore the distraught image presented to him. It broke his heart to see her like this. Guilt quickly overwhelmed him as he realise after all she has done for him, this is how he repaid her. Aleta's emotional state started eating him up from the inside out.

I had to ruin it. It's my fault. She was only trying to help me and here I am complaining about such a little thing. It's because I decided to run, she wouldn't have met me if I wasn't such a coward, he thought.

Aleta sniffed.

Percy shifted over and wrapped his arms around the figure facing away from him.

"It's okay Aleta, I was only joking. I just happened to be thinking about how beautiful this daughter of Melinoe was." he whispered in a soothing voice. He could feel her breaths slowly calm down and shoulders slouch loose.

Aleta knew he wasn't joking but couldn't help but blush at his flattery.

"You must know of a different daughter of Melinoe then,"

"Only if Melinoe had two daughters named Aleta,"

Aleta turned around and peered at his eyes. She could see the innocent soul hidden in those orbs. The daughter of Melinoe embraced him in warmth. Too caught up on the recent event, she completely forgot about her initial reason as to why she wanted to talk to Percy in the first place.

A few seconds past by in silence and Percy soon heard a light snore on his shoulders. With a final sigh, he let his drowsy lids close.

 **Linebreak**

Percy stood in a rather unusual place. Up ahead torches circled a single tree. Everything around it was covered in shadows. As he slowly approached, he notice how big the tree actually was. He would have thought this was most beautiful thing in nature he'd ever seen if it wasn't for the fact that it looked lifeless. The thick trunk depleted with grey, little bits of bark edged out. Up above, millions of branches dangled in all sort of direction, protecting itself from the unknown above. At the end of each limb were few leaves left that would get shoved hard and sway with the rough current passing by, and descend for it was finally time to rest.

" _The gods have done this,"_ a powerful voice spoke.

Percy knelt.

" _Their arrogant ways of ruling the mortals did this. Blinded with pride, they let the world slowly rot."_

"What do you mean milady?"

" _You've seen it yourself Perseus, just look at what happened to Pan... And soon I'll be going through the same."_

"You're going to fade?" Perseus was honestly confused.

" _I am afraid so, which means you'll have to go back."_

"What! You can't bring me back, after all this time. They'll kill me," his voice raised a bit.

" _I've got no choice."_

She then muttered something to herself but it was loud enough for Perseus to overhear, " _Unless… no, it's too risky."_

"What's too risky? Unless what? I'll do anything to stay away from them."

If this being could smirk, she would've done it then.

" _There's one way to save me… but it's too dangerous, you'll get killed."_

"There is nothing too dangerous, I've fought Kronos himself during the second Titan war. Tell me,"

" _There are more powerful things than the Titans, Perseus."_

"Like?"

" _Have you ever wondered why Olympus still rules the mortal land? It's because they've won both Titan wars. Olympus is more powerful and the only way to save me is to go against them. Your own family."_

"I don't see the problem. Olympus grows weaker by the day i've seen them. It isn't like they'll welcome me back with open arms if I go back… They're not family anymore."

" _Then you must wake me,"_

"What?"

" _Trust her, she will guide you towards freedom."_

 **Linebreak**

A boy woke up, surrounded by stale and dusty air.

A dim light glowed through an open window and he could see the little particles sailing throughout the room. A cold breeze rushed through the opening making him shiver. He slowly got up and went to shut the framework. As the straight line of light retreated into the cold landscape, warmth quickly covered the boy. He felt numb. The stillness of the room made him think; a smell like an abandoned hut invaded his senses. He wanted to cry, but no tears came. He stood there alone, waiting.

'Percy,' he thought.

That was unfortunately the only thing he could remember, his own name.

The boy was confused, everything else was working fine. He could recall the functions and memories of the world. He remembered the falling raindrops and everything in its way getting wet then the rainbow that hovered up in the sky when the clouds flew away, the plants that grew only to become the fat of the land.

Yet he couldn't recall how he got here, not even his past life.

Suddenly a growl echoed through the dark room, making his heartbeat speed up. Percy stumbled backwards onto the wooden ground. He rubbed his eyes and saw a cloudy shadow. It slowly approached him. As if the shut window had magically reopened itself, his blood froze making him look pale.

The shadow advanced and Percy could see the fuzzy blur emerge into a silhouette. It stood on all fours, was tall as the hunched figure in front of it. The creaking sound of paws slapping wood filled the air as the image appeared to grow larger by the inch.

Panic quickly took over and Percy dragged himself backwards as much as possible.

The nearing figure growled once more.

His back struck a hard wood wall; he shoved his forearm forward defensively and cowered in fear.

Nothing happened for the past minute.

Percy couldn't see what was going on, he only stared below. And then he sensed the creature right next to him; the boy stiffened. It seemed to watch him, analyzing who he was or what he was. Percy could hear the probing sniffs and the low rumble churning in the throat around him. All he could do was huddle low, waiting for his death. But it never came.

Instead he heard a feminine voice speak… in his head, " _Greetings Perseus, the name's Lupa."_

Was the creature speaking to him? Or am I going crazy, he questioned himself.

" _Let's hope it's not the latter."_

 **3 Months later**

Percy was not starting his day off well. He was currently heading East like the she-wolf Lupa had told him. Apparently he was suppose to find a camp, where he can rejoin others like him. He still couldn't get the thought of being half god out of his head. And this camp he was suppose to find was impossible. He had no description of what it looked like or which general direction; the only thing Lupa told him was to head East.

Percy hopped over a twig and ducked under branches. He ran as fast as possible. Not far from behind, the sound of rustling leaves got louder. Percy glanced back, checking for the two women chasing after him.

Normally, many guys would love the idea of being chased by two gorgeous women, but this was not normal. These women were not gorgeous. Their legs seemed to be replaced by a long reptilian tail protected by scales. Instead of hair, they had venomous snakes. They were closing in on him.

Percy approached a tree. He quickened his pace and ran up the thick trunk vertically before backflipping. Before he would land; he took out his trusty ballpoint pen. At the touch of his grip, the pen turned into Riptide. The sword glinted under the sunlight before engulfing itself into one the gorgons. He pulled out Riptide and slashed the other gorgon. Both creatures dissolved into little specs of gold dust.

Percy hurriedly continue on with his journey. The gorgons were dead, but they'd be already reforming by now. For some reason, they couldn't stay dead.

Up ahead, a hill glazed over the horizon. He felt a slight force pull him West, but continued heading East, for his instincts told him so. The she-wolf had taught him to trust his instinct before anything else.

By the time Percy reached the top, the two gorgons were already reformed and chasing him once more for some unknown reason. Something about avenging their fallen sister…

Down the hill, he saw a tunnel; his senses ran wild. This was the place he was looking for.

The sound of hissing snakes came closer. Percy immediately rushed down closer towards the tunnel.

As he got closer, two figures seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was sure they weren't there when he stood up on the hill. They both wore full battle armor.

"Halt!" the dark skinned girl on the left shouted.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"My name is Percy, this she-wolf told me to search East for a camp." Percy responded between breaths.

"He must be a new recruit, Frank get him inside."

"Uhh… Hazel." the asian boy to the right, called by the name of Frank, stared past the newcomer.

"Frank, I told you to bri-"

"There's two gorgons up ahead!"

"What are you on abo-" Hazel followed Frank's gaze. For a second, she froze before shaking herself out of the daze. She took on her battle stance; spear raised.

"Frank take Percy into camp and bring reinforcement."

"But you'll die! That's two gorgons, are you crazy?!"

"Stop wasting time. I can stall them for now."

"Bu-"

"Go!"

With a final glance at Hazel, Frank ran through the tunnel with Percy following behind him.

They ran. Behind them, a screech echoed in the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, the light grew bigger, and finally they burst into sunlight.

Percy froze at the sight.

A shallow river flowed between him and some sort of military encampment. Further up, he could spot a huge gateway blocking a city. It opened slightly. The buildings inside were made of marbles and were beautifully built. He saw some wooden towers with an oversized bow on each one. A purple banner hung on each one of them.

Percy felt as if he'd stumbled across a secret world. A secret he wasn't suppose to know. He was no stranger when it came to California. Yet for his whole life, the boy never knew a city was located here.

"What is this place?"

"Come on Percy, we've got no time right now."

A scream came from behind them. Hazel burt into the sunlight. She ran towards them and caught her breath.

"I slowed them down a bit, they'll be here by any second now. We need to cross the river."

At the mention of a river, Percy couldn't help but seemed to relax a bit. He looked at it. A chill went down his spine. A strong power radiated out of it. He glanced towards the guards. They didn't show any sign of acknowledgement.

By now, the gorgons flew out of the tunnel.

Frank cursed. "Let's go!"

The three demigods ran for the river. They reached the riverbank, and Percy hesitated to step foot into the river.

Normal Percy loved the water, but this water seemed unfriendly. It wasn't deep. The current flushed fast and across,a gravel path led the way to the front gates.

In the middle of the stream, Hazel took the lead. "Guys hurry up!."

Up ahead, horns blew. On the watchtowers, the crossbows tilted towards and behind them.

Hazel reached the end of the river, and the front gates opened up wide. Tons of armored kids poured out. We made it, Hazel thought with a relieved smile.

She turned around and looked over Frank's shoulder. Her expression changed to that of horror at the sight of Percy stumbling halfway across the river. "Percy!"

"Behind you!"

Percy took something out of his pocket. Suddenly a sword grew in his hand and Hazel was confused.

That definitely is not imperial gold, she thought.

Percy turned around and slashed. He cut one the gorgon's wing. It fell down onto the river. The other gorgon dived down and caught his left arm. Percy screamed in pain. It's claws dug deeper.

Frank started to run towards him. The sentries took aim and the other kids charged forward. But everyone knew it would be too late. Percy was going to die.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a figure materialized out of the shadows and stabbed the gorgon on Percy. It puffed into golden dust.

The other gorgon was back up by now. Percy caught his bearings as the pain on his arm slowly faded out. A tugging sensation filled his gut as his thrust his hands up; giant watery hand burst out from the river. It followed his will and copied Percy's movement. It came down hard and smashed the half winged gorgon and broke into dust.

The other kids yelped and backed away from the riverbanks.

Gorgon essence struggled to reform as Percy willed the river to pull them apart like a meat caught in a pool of piranhas. The current swept them downstream and the water calmed down into its norm.

The giant hand vanished and Percy felt his energy drain away. An exhausting sensation fell over him. He turned towards the individual who saved him; his vision was now blurry.

"Hey, thanks for the help. I'm Percy, nice to meet you."

Before the person could respond back, Percy dropped flat unconscious.

 _ **A/N: Again next chapter is in maybe 2-3 weeks. I'll try to make it longer. Also next chapter, Percy will be fighting for a place in one of the cohorts so I want to know if you want me to write all 5 battles. Please review, tell me if something is wrong and/or maybe give me any advice (It's the only thing keeping me going). Anyways, hope y'all have a great life.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Pairing is still being decided (Reyna, Zoe, Aleta, Piper, Artemis, Thalia). Review with your vote. Next chapter will be in a few weeks. This was my longest chapter yet, hopefully you guys enjoy it. I'm sorry it took a while for me to post this chapter, things are complicated right now.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_

 _ **Chapter Five**_

 _Tick Tock_

 _Tick Tock_

Percy sprang up.

The sound of heavy breathing filled the air. He wiped his forehead and looked around.

He currently lay on a bunk bed in a room surrounded by many others. Strange, he thought, there weren't any clocks nearby.

Percy just sat there. The beat in his chest slowed down and nothing rumbled in the livid mind of the sea pawn.

Gradually as the cool air breezed by, the proceeding events before his blackout slowly caught up with him. He remembered the two guards at the cave. If he could recall, they were Hazel and Fr…. Fred?

Then two gorgons flashed his mind. He shivered, remembering the feeling of claws digging into his flesh.

For the first time, Percy became conscious of his body. He felt the battle scars on his arms. He reached for the scars and ran a finger over them. A cold tingle made him shiver, but these scars wasn't something he worried about at the moment. If it weren't for…his saviour he wouldn't have those scars neither a life. He'd be dead without remembering more about the unknown that is his past. For some reason his conscious did not like the sound of that, for something told him that he had a greater purpose in life later on. He felt the need to thank his saviour. However there was one problem. He doesn't know who saved him.

Too caught up with the recent events, Percy failed to hear the sound of opening doors.

From the far end of the room someone spoke cheerfully, " You're awake!" breaking Percy's train of thoughts.

Percy turned around; he winced as he felt the bruises on his waist.

A girl stood at the entrance. She wore a purple t-shirt and jeans. Her dark brown hair tumbled over her shoulder as she came forward.

As she got closer, Percy noticed her facial features. And for the second time since Percy's awakening in the wolf house, a memory resurfaced. The start of this process was unenjoyable. Percy clutched his head in agony at the sudden pain. In the middle of his migraine, a few words echoed in his mind as if taunting him to try drowning a fish.

" _Trust her"_

" _Trust her"_

" _Trust h-"_

"Percy! Hello!?"

Percy shot back to life. The migraine slowly left him alone. The words 'trust her' left a bitter taste in his mouth.

For what he thought was going to reveal more of his past only gave him two single words and huge head ache.

The first time Percy got a glimpse of his past, he was given a mental image of a tree. Yes really… a tree. What was he going to do with a tree! At least that time, his head didn't hurt nearly as much as did now.

Percy was sure these little glimpse were about his past. They felt right just like how he felt when he first held Riptide. Thankfully this time, he somewhat got something a bit more useful even if it was only two words. I guess I'll need to trust this girl for now, he thought.

"Hey," Percy responded.

By then she was by his side, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah just a little headache."

She looked at him questionably.

Wow she's beautiful, he thought. But for some reason, Percy felt like she knew he was lying. Though she showed no sign of recognition.

"Here eat some ambrosia, it should help with the pain," the girl handed him a spoon of ambrosia.

Percy ate the godly food and instantly felt better. His headache fully subsided and the bruises on his torso hurt less.

"Better?"

"Yep," Percy gave a friendly grin.

For a split second, he spotted a little flicker of emotion in those jet-black orbs of hers. He couldn't exactly tell what it was but thought no further of it. It was none of his business. Nonetheless she returned the smile, displaying her pretty pink lips.

"Anyways I gotta go, Hazel is waiting right outside. She'll show you the way around camp. Reyna wants to speak with you," she got up and started walking away.

"Reyna?"

"Praetor of New Rome alongside with Jason. Oh and next time, be careful will ya. I won't always be there to watch your back."

 **Linebreak**

"So you're telling me New Rome has been here this whole time under

everyone's noses **."**

"Yeah, thanks to the mist. Makes mortals see an illusion hiding what's actually happening. No mortal can see through the mist except a few. They are called cl-"

"Clear sighted mortals," Percy blurted out instinctively.

How did he even know that? What has gotten into me, he thought.

"Are you sure you haven't been to camp before? You seem to know a lot about the mythical world for a newbie," Hazel questioned again just to make sure.

Percy stopped walking and lifted up his sleeve. Unlike Hazel's, there were no tattoo on his arm. She had the letters SPQR with one score mark engraved into her arm with an emblem; a black cross like glyph with a semi circle pointing upwards and a pearl in the middle.

"See I haven't been here before."

"Ok, I believe you," she reluctantly accepted the fact and looked at him. He seemed to be distracted, focusing behind her. She followed his gaze.

One of the lares was pointing at him while whispering, "graecus".

"Just ignore them, they can be infuriating sometimes," Hazel sounded as if she had experiences with these lares many times. "Let's go, Reyna is waiting for us at the principia."

The principia was impressive. It was a two-story wedge building with white marble columns at the front. Inside it looked even better. There were statues of wolves.

Percy recognized one of them to be the she-wolf Lupa.

Displays of banners, medals and military symbols hung on the walls. In the center of the room a girl, Percy guessed Reyna, sat behind a long wooden table on one of the two high-backed chairs. The other was empty. Two statues of greyhounds bordered the table. One of them was silver and the other was gold.

Hazel stayed standing so Percy figured he should do the same.

Reyna looked up from her scrolls and examined Percy warily. Her piercing black eyes made sure there were no room for jokes.

"A son of Neptune; very unusual," she said coldly, "Percy Jackson why are you here?"

Percy couldn't shake the feeling that she had met him before. "Well you see," he said, " I've lost- um, my memory or it's gone. I don't know it's complicated. Do I know you?"

The girl glare at him and moved her hand towards her sheathed dagger. The metal wolves came alive and started growling but stayed put.

Only when the wolves stopped growling did she move her hands away, but she continued to scowl at him as though incase he would try something funny.

"Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion alongside with Jason who is currently informing Octavian of your arrival. And no, I don't know you," she said, "so tell me, how'd you get here? Why can't you remember anything?"

Percy told her everything from his wake in the Wolf House to his discovery of this camp. He told her about his memory lost and how it seemed as though someone has taken them so it wasn't simply just a case of amnesia.

Reyna sat in her seat listening in silence. "You look pretty old to be a new recruit. You're around what- sixteen? Surely you've gotten into trouble before. A son of Neptune gives out a stronger scent," she said with crossed eyebrows.

Percy shrugged. He has no clue what happened. All he knew was that he woke up in the Wolf House with no memory other than his name. He knew it sounded a little suspicious, but what else could he have said.

Suddenly a boy walked in. He had blond hair and wore a purple cape just like Reyna.

"Octavian is ready," he said and turned to Percy "Nice to meet you, I'm Jason."

"Alright, Hazel bring Percy to the temple hills. Tell him about the legion on the way."

"Yes, Reyna."

 **Linebreak**

Many questions lingered in the head of the son of Neptune and Hazel tried her best to answer them all while on their way to the temple of Jupiter.

During their path, Percy spotted many temples and most of them looked pretty awesome. Though, he couldn't find his father's.

Hazel pointed to a small blue building, "That's unfortunately your father's. Romans don't exactly like any child of Neptune neither do they like the sea. It brings bad luck. I'm sorry."

Even if the building looked like dump, Percy still felt attracted to it, but he otherwise decided to not go in. Something told him it wouldn't be a good idea.

They continued their path to Jupiter's temple.

New Rome definitely praised Jupiter more than Neptune. His temple was astonishing. It was like comparing a mansion to a makeshift hut. The marble floor was polished and glittered in golden patterns. Aligned columns supported the dome shaped ceiling above, covered in sparkled crystals.

In the temple, you could spot a statue of Jupiter holding his lightning bolt as if he's trying to fry someone. In the middle, a kid in a toga stood behind an altar of some sort.

"Ahh! So this is the son of Neptune everyone is talking about. Or should I say 'graecus'," the kid announced.

"Uh, hi?" Percy said.

Hazel took over, "Percy, this is Octavian."

"Hmm… Percy you say. You know, offsprings of Neptune are considered bad luck here, what makes you think we'd accept you?"

Hazel covered everything for him. She told Octavian about his memory lost and his entrance to Rome.

After a few more questions, Octavian finally decided to check the auguries. He took a stuffed elephant out of nowhere and raised his knife. He stabbed the elephant right on its back and let the stuffing pour out onto the altar.

Although these were only fake animals, Percy kinda felt bad for the elephant. Especially when the person stabbing the stuffed animal had a crooked smile all the while. It gave him the chills.

Octavian was someone you didn't want to mess with.

"We've got good news and bad new news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Um, good?"

"You may join the legion." Octavian still had that crooked smile.

"The bad news?"

"You'll probably end up in the 5th cohort with all the other weaklings, just like Hazel over here," he giggled evilly and gestured at Hazel.

Percy was about to protest but stopped when Hazel pulled his arm. She looked miffed, but nethertheless ignored Octavian's insult.

"Come on, we got to go inform Reyna and Jason about your augury. And get you ready for the challenge."

"Challenge?"

"You didn't think joining the legion was that easy, did you?"

 **Linebreak**

Percy sat in the catacombs beneath the colosseum. His chest took speed in anticipation. He felt the vibration of cheering spectators above.

Little debris fell from the dirt ceiling which were supported by stone pillars. Anxiousness filled the boy.

Inside the catacombs there were swords spilled in piles, couple of shields and armor and a staircase that lead above.

Most of the armory were dented, covered with cobwebs.

Percy already had a chosen sword so he reached for one the shield that looked best in condition.

Hazel had told him it'd be best to utilise what's given for the fights.

Percy couldn't be bothered wearing armor. It would only weigh him down and get him tired more easily.

Hazel did mention he had to beat five centurions with only five minute breaks in between.

He gave the shield a few swings just to test it out, though it didn't feel right. The son of Neptune tried the other shields until he felt somewhat suitable.

As if on queue, Fred? came down and signaled him to come up. Percy ascended anxiously where Fred stood by the gates.

The chattering got louder. Too loud for his likings.

Outside the gates, he heard Reyna announce his name, "Percy Jackson, son of Neptune".

Light slowly filled the room as Fred opened the gates into the colosseum.

Fred wished him good luck before Percy stepped into the dusty field.

Tons of spectators filled the seats all around the field. In the middle of the arena within the spectators, both Praetors sat in a box with purple banners. SPQR written the middle of the banners.

Percy felt uneasy. He could feel every set eyes pierce him down as if they were ready to judge him, too see if he was worth the hassle or just another waste of time and space.

 _Tick Tock_

Percy swore he just heard a faint noise, but he couldn't be bothered right now to think of it as anything. His attention was at the huge crowd. The spectators looked uneasy, uninviting.

"Percy will be fighting his way up the cohorts until he is defeated and will be placed below his opponent. He will have a five minute break between each opponent. If he by any means leaves the arena, he will be forfeited to the fifth cohort if they chose to accept him," said Reyna.

"Percy, for your first challenge, you will be facing Dakota, Son of Bacchus and Centurion of the Fifth Cohort," Jason announced this time.

As on queue, the gates at the other end of the arena opened up.

Dakota was tall and quite buff. Though his vampire-like face did not match him at all. His eyes strangely bore him down. They didn't seem lined up well. His mouth was slightly open and all Percy could spot was crimson red. Unfortunately no pale skin, though he did seem to bear an uneven focus. He held an imperial gold gladius and a shield.

The spectator's reactions were priceless. Percy never thought he'd ever hear so much laughter at once. For the first time, Percy felt conscious about himself. He definitely does not want to be laughed at like that.

"You may begin!"

Unfortunately for Percy, he wasn't ready.

Dakota quickly ran towards him with his gladius raised up.

Percy feebly blocked his swing with his shield. The unexpected force pushed him back.

Dakota swung again.

Percy stopped the swing. Now with Riptide at hand.

Sweat leaked down his face. Dakota was not going easy.

Percy slashed.

During mid-swing his opponent rammed forward. Both shields bashed together and Percy lost his balance; Riptide flew out of his hands.

With a hard THUD Percy landed hard on his back. Some blood spewed out of his nose. Everything happened so fast, he didn't have any time to think.

Percy raised his shield protectively over himself. He kicked Dakota right on the knee.

Dakota fell right over his shield. He was heavy. Percy shoved him to the side, losing his shield in the process. Both warriors got up; both held nothing.

Dakota looking a little bruised up and really angry. Percy, all dust up with a stain of blood below his nose.

He heard snickering loud and clear. Percy made the mistake to glance for a split second at the spectators, for Dakota took the initiatives.

He charged forwards with clenched fists. Dakota aimed for the head.

Luckily, Percy instinctively ducked.

Dakota continued with another hard blow only for his opponent to sidestep.

Percy swung a hard blow at his head.

Dakota stumbled backwards.

Despite the pain in his hands, Percy continued give the centurion heavy blows. His expression grew angrier by every lunge. He led out a loud screech to the crowd's surprise. Before he knew it, anger blinded him.

Dakota dodged and swung right back. This time his fist collided.

Percy flew back, landing on the ground. He spat blood out.

Dakota kicked him on the waist.

Percy clenched his side in pain. He got kicked again. Agony and exhaustion fell over the son of Neptune. All he could hear was his own grunts and the laughter that surrounded him. That laughter he wished to never experience.

No.

NOT NOW AND NOT EVER.

With a final push, Percy rolled over. In one quick motion front flipped up, bringing his pen out.

"Yield!" Percy had his sword right at the son of Bacchus' throat.

For a moment, everything and everyone was quiet as if the world just froze in time. Dakota froze on the spot. Speechless at the unexpected and sudden defeat. Even the spectators did not let anything out. But that moment was shortly cut when the crowd started to complain.

It was too loud for Percy to hear everything but he got a few words of distaste. Some complained for a longer fight, others complained about his supposedly "cheap" shot. He felt the vibration shaking his skull, giving him a massive headache.

Percy looked at his opponent's face.

Dakota only stared at him. His expression softened.

"I yield," he almost gave Percy a slight smile before walking back to the gates. Others from higher cohorts mocked him for losing to a son of Neptune.

You couldn't say the same for Percy. He still had a hard and heated expression.

"Percy wins, he will be given a five minute break before fighting his next opponent," Reyna announced.

Percy grabbed his shield and walked back to his side.

Behind the gates, he was met with an unanticipated sight. The same girl he had met just after his rest sat on the wooden bench just to the side. She held a warming smile just like their first encounter when he walked in.

A few steps away from her stood Fred. He also had a smile.

Percy wasn't in the mood for smiles, but nethertheless forged his own smile to show respect.

"Congratulation! You did good man!" Fred spoke first.

"Yeah, thanks," Percy answered back half-heartedly. He honestly felt like a joke.

"Come on Percy, cheer up a little! Don't worry about what they say, they're just jealous of your skills and especially that sword of yours," Frank tried heartening him.

Percy only showed him a slight smile. The effort was appreciative, though honestly didn't help much.

"Frank can you go get him some water, I'll watch over him," said the girl.

"Are you sure? Reyna sai-"

"Yes I'm sure Zhang," she sounded more serious this time.

Frank took one more glance at Percy before walking out.

Percy felt slightly embarrassed for think his name was Fred. He mentally scolded himself.

Once Frank was out of sight, she let out a sigh of relief. Her features soften once again.

"Percy are you alright?" she said softly.

Percy wanted to lie but for an unknown reason his mouth did otherwise, "My head hurts, my chest hurts, how are you suppose to beat five centurions with only a five minute break for each one of them," he sighed and went to sit down next to the girl, "If I don't continue, they're just going to make fun of me for being in the fifth cohort."

"Percy you know you can do better. You're just out of shape, you'll get use to it. I believe in you," she looked at him, "Ignore what the spectators say, they're always like that. Especially since the incident. Dakota was a great foe. Just before such unfortunate event, he was one of the legions best warrior."

Percy turned to look at her. His eyes locked with hers and he gave a timid smile. Something about her made him feel better. He felt like he could trust her. She made his worries less of a burden and entirely motivated him a bit. Though he still felt a little useless in his current position.

"I don't know, how am I supposed to beat four other centurions yet I can barely beat Dakota? Supposedly in the worst cohort at the moment." he looked away once again.

"You need to focus Percy. Block out all the chatting and concentrate. Trust yourself in what you're doing and follow your instincts," the girl glanced at his shield, "The water is going to heal you a bit for your next fight."

Frank came back just in time with some water.

Percy quickly drank it for it was soon time to go back out. He instantly felt replenished.

Then he heard his queue. His five minutes was over.

He gave Frank a quick thanks with a friendly smile and got up to exit.

Just before he went out, he glanced back at the girl and said, "Hey um… thanks for saving me earlier today. Also, I never got your name…"

She only grinned, "My pleasure, as for the name, you'll know it soon enough."

Frank raised one of his eyebrows, "Wait a second… do you really think he'll make it that far?"

Unfortunately for Percy, he was already back in the arena.

 **Linebreak**

"For Percy's second challenge, he will be facing Leila, Daughter of Ceres and centurion of the Fourth Cohort!"

As expected, the gates at the other end opened up.

Inside, a girl stood about his height. She wore leather armor with a bow in hand. A quiver hung on her back and you could see the hilt of a sword just above her other shoulder. She took her stance.

"You may begin!"

Leila immediately shot an arrow.

Luckily Percy was ready this time; he dodged. More arrows flew by as Percy slowly advanced. To Percy's surprise just before he got to reach the girl, she swiftly took out two hidden daggers and charged.

Leila shot for an opening, jabbing at his waist.

Percy blocked with his shield.

But he failed.

Leila's dagger slashed Percy just at the tip, leaving a big line of red. He countered back with an upwards slash.

Leila dashed back. She circled him, searching for any fault in his stance. Judging by the glint in her eyes, she sure spotted a few.

Percy winced but ignored the cut. He needed to stay focus. The son of Neptune felt slightly awkward as he changed his direction to the circulating predator. He didn't know what to do. His posture felt wrong and limited. He suddenly felt conscious of the weight he carried on his left arm.

Suddenly an image flashed his mind; the girl he just had a chat with during his break. She was glancing at his shield. Percy mentally nodded.

Leila lunged.

Percy shuffled back and threw his shield at her.

Such decision surprised Leila, but she easily dodged it.

Percy swung upwards at the progressing figure.

The daughter of Ceres closed it off with her daggers crossed together. Both weapons held high in the sky, both trying to out strength each other.

Percy slowly started to lose the stalemate for the pain of the cut caught up with him. Before she could do anything more, Percy pushed forward and back flipped while kicking his opponent in the process for an extra boost.

He landed on both legs and instinctively took a stance. His stance blazed in familiar, but otherwise unknown to himself and the crowd judging by the their reaction.

For some strange reason, the son of Neptune felt much better. He felt much more open and his senses sharpened.

Leila got up and took her sword out. She eyed him down.

"Such unusual stance," she spoke for the first time.

"What can you say, I'm an unusual guy," Percy replied back with a smirk.

"Unfortunately for you, us romans don't like unusual," she then continue in distaste, "son of Neptune."

Percy thought he'd be mad after someone insulted his godly father, but his emotions didn't budge a bit. He shrugged it off.

With a battle cry, they both charged each other.

Percy let her attack first. He parried her slash and countered back with a heavier blow.

Both warriors exchanged blows for some time. One hit after another until both competitors slowly tired out.

Percy patiently waited for his chance.

Leila was starting to get frustrated. She certainly hadn't expect him to be this good. For Hades sake! He almost lost to the fifth cohort! She tried poking him again expecting him to only counter it once more. However this time, the centurion was presented with a surprise.

Percy moved so he wouldn't be impaled. Just as quick, he jumped, twirling mid-air. This action gave him a ton of momentum for his strike.

Such unorthodox style, completely blew Leila out of her preparation.

Oh she was so not ready.

In a panic, she turned and lifted her sword.

Riptide flew down hard and smashed her weapon out of reach. Percy immediately kicked her on the chest.

Leila flew back, her arrows rushed out of her quiver. She hysterically took out her bow just in time for Percy to level his sword at her throat.

"What's so bad with unusual?"

Leila glared at him, "You got lucky." She slowly moved the sword away from her and proceeded to get up.

"Oh no you don't. Say it," Percy moved Riptide back to its position. He made sure she said the words before losing his guard.

Hazel mentioned something like this would happen. Since he was a newbie, he had a high chance to not know of this rule due to the lack of information legionnaires told their new recruits.

"I yield," the centurion finally said in frustration.

Once Percy heard those words, he slowly unfocused on the daughter of Ceres in relief. His conscious fully expanded and he heard spectators loud and clear. Much to Percy's relief, they were actually cheering him on this time. Though a few did still continue on hating him. He only shrugged them off.

"Percy wins once again, he will be given another five minute break before he faces his next opponent!"

The son of Neptune returned back to his station.

Much to Percy's disappointment, a certain girl wasn't there. Frank was present with some water ready for him. They talked for the rest of his break until it was time to go back and fight.

For his next challenge he had to fight Hank, son of Mars and centurion of the Third Cohort. Percy managed to defeat him without much problem since he wasn't using a shield and moved on to the next centurion.

Again during his break, there was only Frank and Percy figured the girl wouldn't be coming again.

The second cohort's centurion was a guy called Larry. And again, Percy beat his second last challenge.

By then, the crowd were cheering for him. Percy overheard a few of the other legionnaires saying that the next person was impossible to defeat. And the adrenaline Percy felt right now was ready for the impossible.

"If Percy wins his final challenge he will get to choose which cohort he will be placed in," Jason announced. The crowd blew up in rooting cries. Slowly one by one they started chanting his name until there was nobody left to yell. Reyna signaled them to calm down.

"For Percy's last and final challenge, he will be fighting Aleta, daughter of Pluto and centurion of the First Cohort!"

At the mention of the name, Percy suddenly got this little headache.

The gate unclosed at the other end; he caught his breath.

Standing inside was the very girl who had saved him and helped him out after his embarrassing win versus Dakota. Aleta had her hair tied back in a ponytail. She held a shield and a sword similarly forged like the one he was using. She smirked at him. Percy smiled back ready for the challenge.

"You may begin!"

Percy took out Riptide and readied his stance.

Aleta followed his position.

Was she copying him?

The spectators murmured among each other.

Percy waited for her to make her first move but she never came. He was hoping to see if she knew how to fight his style or if she was just playing with him.

No one moved.

Percy felt a tug at the back of his head but ignored it for he had someone important to beat.

"So your name is Aleta."

"Thanks captain obvious," she smiled at him, "Do you thin-"

Percy striked.

Aleta sidestepped. She immediately countered back with the same hit.

Percy did not expect her to do that so he hurriedly shuffled back and tripped.

Aleta slashed down. Percy rolled to the side and kicked the back of her leg.

She fell.

Then a faint voice spoke in Percy's mind. _Help me!_ _There's a-_ the sound of splashing water entered.

At first Percy thought he was going crazy. However when the person started talking again, she sounded much more real and in real danger.

 _Help me!_

Percy knew something was wrong. He looked up and Aleta was already on her feets.

She didn't attack because Percy just stood there concentrating on something. She had no clue what he was doing.

"Hello? Percy? Are you alright?" Aleta spoke in concern.

Percy looked up and stared at her eyes.

That's when Aleta knew something was wrong and judging by the look he gave her meant he was about to do something stupid.

"Don't you dare go an-" during mid-sentence Percy quickly turned around and ran for the exit knowing the consequences for his action.

Someone needed his help. And they needed it FAST.

 _ **A/N: Pairing is still being decided (Reyna, Zoe, Aleta, Piper, Artemis, Thalia). Review with your vote (I am personally leaning towards Aleta). Again next chapter in a few weeks. So this was my first time actually writing a full fight scene and I want your feedback. Please review and tell me if my fight scenes were tolerable. Until next time, enjoy life.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Pairing is still being decided. I've decided pairings will now either be (Zoe, Aleta or Reyna) with Aleta as of now being the most likely to win. Next update will be in a few weeks. Thanks everyone for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson**_

 _ **Chapter Six**_

Percy had just possibly made the worst mistake of his Roman career. A mistake that would stay with him forever, damaging his repetition. Let's just hope it was worth it.

Percy quickly made his way through the exit. His guts tugged harder. He concentrated, blocking the sound of protesting spectators and a very angry Aleta. He was searching for something, a signal, something that he could get a hold of and lock its position.

Then it came. His guts felt the rage up ahead. He quickly sprinted; shoes slapping the dirt ground. Just above the hill, water splashed violently in the air. A monstrous screech made him quiver. A huge dragon-like figure came into view.

'Hydra,' Percy randomly thought.

How in the world did that creature get into camp!

The creature stood at the edge of a lake. Seven serpent-like heads raised high ready to strike at any second. A green slimy substance leaked out of some of the heads. A thick layer of scales shined for battle. Instead of approaching the city, the creature looked distracted. Its multiple heads bent down viciously.

Percy squinted. Yep, someone definitely needed help.

Not far away from the Hydra, a girl shuffled away to no avail. The Hydra came closer. One of its long necks curved back and lunged forward.

The girl leaped out of harm's reach; the saliva missed its target barely by an inch. She crashed the ground hard. Dirt now covered her silver attires.

The hydra stalked closer to her.

The girl lifted herself in a grunt. Her eyes focused on nothing but the ground as she tried her best to limped away as fast as she could. Something that was regularly easy for her but quite hard at the moment.

Just at the bottom of her sight, a shadowy figure that had multiple heads creeped closer. She tried putting more speed; her panting got even heavier. Soon darkness enveloped her completely.

The girl knew this was the end. There was no way she'd get away this time. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the inevitable impact. The pain she is about to go through stung her mind.

And then the impact came.

Her corpse collided not to her expectation of sharp painful teeth and/or burning acid, but to something else that came in with a harder force that left her windpipe empty. Her body jerked to the side and she crumbled onto the ground.

She felt pressure on her torso, keeping her in place. The girl hastily opened her eyes. Someone laid over her. That someone was a male and her blood started to boil as the male revealed himself.

Before she could shout anything at the boy on top of her no thanks to not having enough air, Percy gripped her and rolled over, dodging another spit of acid.

The ground where they had just been sizzled. The sound of popping bubbles only reassured both of them that it was a bad idea to get in contact with the saliva of the Hydra.

The girl suddenly came into conscious that the infamous Percy Jackson was practically on her and that she was gasping heavily right on his face. For a moment, she forbiddenly blushed but it was cut short quicker than you can count to one.

Percy hurriedly got up. He lend her his hand, but instead of taking it, she rudely got up herself.

"PERCY JAC-"

Percy paid her no attention and shoved her out of the way not in hatred but in alertness. He slashed an approaching serpent-like head with a weapon she instantly recognized. The head flopped down and green blood leaked out of the fatal wound.

"You idiot!" The girl yelled.

Percy was honestly confused. Why was she calling him an idiot? He had just saved her. If anything she should be thanking him.

The question was promptly answered when he looked towards the Hydra. The son of Neptune's heart dropped. The neck of which he had chopped off started to magically reconstruct itself. But this time, instead of regaining its original amount, the stump grew into two separate heads. Eight Hydra heads screeched in anger.

Then they heard battle horns. Percy glanced towards the direction of where the sound seemed to be coming from. A long line of legionnaires appeared over the horizon. They continued to march forwards.

The hydra continued to attack. Both Percy and the girl dodged its strikes not bothering to counter back. Percy made sure he didn't do the same mistake. They didn't know how they were going to kill such creature. For Hades' sake! It regenerated itself to a stronger version. They continued to avoid the assaults now that it was easier since the Hydra had to focus on two targets until the legion reached them and took over.

By the looks of it, the legionnaires also didn't seem to know how to kill the Hydra either. Luckily, none of them made the same mistake as Percy. So the only thing they could do right now was stand there with shields distracting the hydra so it wouldn't go decide to go wandering around the city.

While the legionnaires occupied the creature, Percy concentrated. How was he supposed to beat a self regenerating creature? Perhaps water… no that wasn't possible.

Think Percy Think

Has anyone ever beaten the hydra before? Wait a minute someone has! Heracles!

Percy turned to the girl who he saved that also seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, "Hey, do you know how Heracles killed the Hydra?"

The girl looked at him with a raised brow but her expression showed that of anger. Instead of her answering the question, someone else did.

"Heracles? You mean Hercules?" the voice of Jason replied. Jason approached the two.

Reyna walked by his side, "Heracles is Greek," she spoke suspiciously and watched Percy closely.

"Right, Hercules. Didn't he defeat the hydra during his twelve labours?"

Whatever Reyna suspected was either answered or put to halt for a later discussion seeing as she answered him without any doubt.

"Yes he did by burning the stump of each head he chopped off," she said it as if she thought of this already, "but we don't have any fire with us. I've already sent someone, however by the time he arrives, the hydra would've already lost interest in us and head towards the city."

Percy thought about it. What did he need to make a fire?

While Percy got lost in his own thoughts, Reyna turned to the girl, "What do we owe the pleasure of your arrival, ambassador of Diana?"

The ambassador Diana straightened herself. She was watching their conversation attentively. Then she spoke as if she had already prepared her words, "Milady has te-"

She was cut of by a screaming son of Neptune. "Ahh but we can make a fire right now," Percy answered with a smirk.

Thankfully something suddenly came to mind. The son of Neptune wasn't even sure if it would work but there were no other option.

The ambassador was about to retort back at Percy for cutting her off but before she could, Aleta shimmered out of nowhere and grabbed her before disappearing. Aleta's expression was extremely dangerous not even both praetors wanted to get involved.

Reyna and Jason looked at each other in curiosity while Percy just looked confused in total.

"Well anyways to make a fire, I'll need a wooden shield. Oh and bring Frank here," Percy returned back at topic.

Normally both praetors weren't the ones taking orders but at the moment things weren't normal. They needed to take of the Hydra quick.

The two praetors dispatched. One of them went to go fetch a wooden shield like Percy had requested and the other went to get Frank.

Jason arrived back first with the shield and tossed it to Percy, "What now?"

Percy placed the shield on the ground, "Shock it."

"Really you made me waste my time just to do that, It's not going to work," Jason replied. He was agitated that they weren't doing anything productive.

"How would you know?"

"Son of Zeus thing," Jason reluctantly shot a bolt at the shield.

Nothing happened. Except a newly born dent. Just like what Jason had expected, "See I told you."

Then Reyna arrived. Frank followed behind.

Suddenly Aleta came out of nowhere. She looked more calm this time but still slightly angry, "You'll need a negative charge for that to work."

"What did you do with the ambassador?" Reyna asked with rolled eyes.

Before she could answer Frank suddenly interrupted, "From the clouds! You'll need the clouds to get a negative charge."

Jason raised his brow tentatively. He thought about the idea.

Percy guessed it was a worth a try seeing as Jason shut his eyes.

Soon the natural light above started to disappear. The bright sun slowly lost itself in the dark clouds that formed. It was like as if the sun had suddenly disappeared and the whole world turned to darkness.

Reyna told them to move back.

BOOM! A bolt struck down. The demigods around it got pushed back by the sudden force. The wooden object that was once a shield burst into flames.

Percy slowly got up. His ears rang and his vision blurred a bit. It took him a few minutes to recover.

Once his senses fixed itself the son of Neptune looked at Frank, "Light your arrows on fire, you've got some target practices to do." With that said, he rushed off towards the Hydra.

The Hydra immediately notice an approaching snack that differed from the other positional legionnaires. It plunged its head at the opportunity.

Percy sidestepped, dodging the speeding head. He raised Riptide and slashed down.

The head rolled off and the creature screeched loudly in pain. The particles on the open wound started to glow golden. However before it could regenerate anymore, a flaming arrow struck it, catching it on fire.

It was working!

Percy went for the next head. Right when he leaped, Aleta came out of nowhere almost scaring him half to death and hacked the head off before he could.

Percy landed on the ground first. Then came Aleta in a more theatrical way. An arrow flew by.

"One, one," Aleta looked at him with a smirk.

"Ohh you're so on," Percy grinned back.

 **Linebreak**

Aleta landed in front of Percy, "That's the fifth," she grinned victoriously.

"Oh yeah… well I got six! So I win!" Percy countered back.

"There was only eight you moron."

"No there wasn't."

"Yes."

"No."

They both turned to an approaching Frank and asked instantaneously, "Who won?"

Frank looked at two red faces, "You guys look cute," he snickered.

Both Percy and Aleta looked at each other but quickly glanced away. If it was even possible, their faces grew redder.

"And I technically won, if it weren't for me, the Hydra would've had like a gazillion heads by now."

"Hey! First of all, I am the one who told you to shoot it."

"Ya and since when were you apart of this!"

"Since you guys ask-"

Their argument was interrupted abruptly, "You guys stop arguing and join us at the principia. We have things to discuss. Frank you go back to your cohort," Reyna said demandingly, leaving no room for any retort. She looked a bit troubled.

Percy and Aleta reluctantly followed her to the principia. They didn't want to agitate their praetor even more.

Once they arrived, Reyna went to take her seat beside Jason. Reyna fidgeted with her dagger and Jason looked a bit worried. Just to the side Octavian stood almighty. He gave them a crooked smile.

Percy and Aleta went to stand by the ambassador of Diana who glared at them. The three faced their praetor.

"Today was eventful," Reyna sighed, breaking the silence.

"Indeed, now regarding Percy, we must decide which cohort he will be put into," Jason continued.

"Waiting can't we just continue where we left off in the arena?" Percy spoke up questionably.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's not possible, I would suggest we place you in the second cohort since you've made it past them."

That's when Octavian spoke up, "Ahum, the rules states that if the recruit whatsoever leaves the arena without an agreement from one of the praetors themselves, they will be place in the lowest cohort. Which is the fifth at the moment."

Percy's heart dropped.

But Aleta defended him, "You can't be serious! You've seen him fight. He's worthy of my cohort."

"Oh and has the daughter of Pluto finally opened up again?" Octavian countered back with those scary eyes of his.

Aleta immediately shut her mouth. She glared at him.

"Now that's the girl I've come to know."

Reyna stood up, "Alright Octavian that's enough," she turned to the standing three with a sigh, "unfortunately Octavian is right. There is no arguing with the rules. Percy will be placed in the fifth cohort," she gestured towards the ambassador of Diana, "Zoe here, will also be joining the fifth cohort temporarily."

She dismissed them.

Just when they were about to walk out the door, Reyna called out, "There's a meeting at the Senate House tomorrow at eight. All three of you will be there on time."

 **Linebreak**

"And here's where you guys will be sleeping. If you have any other questions look for me at the front entrance. I have guard duty again," Hazel patted the pillow on the bunk.

"Alright no problem, see you around," Percy said.

Right when she left, Percy turned to Zoe.

For some reason the ambassador of Diana continued to give him those cold eyes.

Percy sighed, "Did I do something?"

Zoe ignored him and carried on with what she was doing. She walked past him and rudely pushed him out of the way before leaving the room.

This person has some serious issues.

Percy plopped onto his bunk and glanced around the empty room.

Silence at last. Today was a day you'd never forget. First he was getting chased by two gorgons who wanted nothing but to taste his fresh blood while he tried to find an unknown camp with nothing but a hint of a cardinal direction. When he finally managed to get rid of those gorgons, he ends up passing out only to wake up a few hours later to partake in an unbelievable challenge. The challenge where he was suppose to get placed in the second cohort or above, but was unable to because he decided to go save someone.

A burning feeling slowly crept his stomach. He was placed in the fifth cohort! The worst of the worst. Not only that but the person who he saved never even showed any appreciation and instead acted as if he had just murdered her mother coldblooded. What was wrong with her!

Percy suddenly felt conscious of the temperature. Sweat leaked down his forehead. He took in shallow breaths and slowly relaxed himself.

He couldn't give up now. Something about his past bugged him a lot. Though he could never seem to grasp on what it was. Instead he thought about the positive side of today's events.

He had briefly met Hazel and Frank from the start of his journey within New Rome and immediately became somewhat friends. They were both in his cohort.

Then there was Reyna and Jason who Percy didn't seem too bothered about except for fact that he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen Reyna before.

Lastly there was Aleta. A strange but yet charming girl. Before they've even met, she had saved his life. Then for some unknown reason, decided to help him with his challenge and defend him when Octavian talked about the 'rules'. The daughter of Pluto was centurion of the first cohort! Why was she helping him, a stranger. Nethertheless Percy was grateful. Something about her seemed so… welcoming.

Percy let out a long breath. That was enough thinking for today. He got up and decided he'd get familiar with camp for the rest of the day since it didn't look like he'd be moving out anytime soon. Training was left for tomorrow.

The streets of New Rome were calm. There weren't too many people and many stores settled within the sides. As the sun started to go down, Percy strode through the last section.

Nothing disturbed the son of Neptune except for the occasionally lar who would call him Graecus. No matter how many times they seemed to call him that, Percy couldn't ignore them. Something about ghosts whispering words of distaste. Percy shivered at the thought.

Speaking of which. One of the lar across the street was pointing at him. Percy looked straight ahead and forced himself to walk. Ignore him.

As much as his body wanted to leave, his mind completely did the opposite. It was like the lares had some kind of force that you couldn't ignore. Almost like that feeling when you think someone is secretly watching you.

The son of Neptune glanced at the ghostly figure, but immediately lost interest in the lar and focused behind it. Just behind the lar, Percy saw Aleta sitting at a table through the window of the coffee shop. He couldn't exactly tell what she was doing, though she didn't seem to be busy at the moment. Especially not with that distraught expression.

Percy entered the coffee shop. He made his way to the girl who sat alone and took a seat next to her.

"Go away," Aleta murmured. She didn't even bother to look up.

"Is there something bothering you?" Percy asked with concern even if he knew the answer to that already.

Aleta abruptly lifted up her head at his voice. Her hair dangled in a mess. Which in Percy's opinion looked really cute.

"Oh hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you," a smile adorned her feature as her eyes lit up.

Percy's heart skipped a beat, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No… Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know," Percy shrugged, "You know… The whole arena ordeal. You did seem pretty upset."

"Oh ya, I was looking forward to our fight. It's so like you to go and save someone without caring about the consequences," her eyes dimmed a bit.

Percy raised a brow at her words, but nethertheless thought nothing more into the her sentence. His mind was too focused on Zoe now that she was mentioned, "Speaking of which, do you have any idea why the ambassador hates me so much? I never even did anything to her and all she does is glare at me. What's wrong with her."

Aleta clenched her hands for a second, "I don't know," it sounded kind of forced out.

That caught Percy by surprise. He did not go further into the subject.

There was a silence. Percy gazed at the girl. There was something about her that didn't seem right.

"Not that i'm not grateful but why do you help me?" Percy questioned.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I help you," Aleta looked into those sea-green eyes in confusion.

"Well you know… by the looks of it, you don't seem to help much with the others," Percy was obviously referring to the incident with Octavian. Perhaps, he shouldn't have mentioned it but his mouth seemed to control itself.

Aleta frowned at him and glanced away. She didn't say anything.

Yep he just messed everything up.

"Alright i'm sorry for asking, I think i'll go." Percy got up, eager to get out of this awkward situation. He was getting into something that wasn't his business. Way to ruin it you moron, he cursed himself.

Before he could leave, Aleta grabbed his hand, "No wait please don't go, it's alright."

Half of Percy's body wanted to leave and forget what just happened, the other half wanted to stay, somewhat curious of this daughter of Pluto.

Her hand felt so warm and intimate. Something that made the son of Neptune's curiosity spark.

He silently sat back down, retracting his hand in the process.

"It's just that I've had a complicated relationship before and… you know it's," her voice wavered, "h-hard to forget with everything that has been happening lately."

"It's alright Aleta, you don't need to tell me anything. I shouldn't have said anything," Percy tried to reassure her. He honestly felt like crap.

If she heard him she didn't show any indication in doing so. Instead, she continued on, "I just want it to stop," she sniffed. A light layer of tears now visible in her eyes. She started to lean a little towards him but quickly realised her mistake and repositioned herself.

Percy did not know what to do. He had only met this girl today and just in a span of a day, she was having an emotional breakdown right in front of him.

He awkwardly put his arms around her shoulders and rubbed her arm, "Don't worry everything will be ok. I'll be here for you like you've been there for me when I was getting my ass kicked. If you need anything just talk to me," he reassured her.

Percy's face burned red. He did not know what he was doing. Thankful whatever he just did seemed to work. She leaned onto him and used his shoulder as a pillow. He felt her breaths slow down.

Aleta blinked away the tears that were on the verge of escape. She needed to be strong just like an older sister. One that can keep her promises.

"Percy," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone of this."

"Not a problem."

 _ **A/N: Again pairing is still being decided. I've decided pairings will now either be (Zoe, Aleta or Reyna) with Aleta as of now being the most likely to win. Next chapter in a few weeks. Please review and give me some feedback. Not sure if this chapter was interesting or not. Until next time, enjoy life.**_


	7. Important

_**Important A/N:**_

 _ **Alright, first of all, Exiled Traitor will be put in Hiatus. I've currently lost interest in the story and can never find the inspiration to continuously write further chapters. I'm all mixed up with the plot and everything is getting out of hand so I might decide to delete the story. Special thanks to everyone who has read every single one of my chapters and those who have given this story a chance. Thank you for all the reviews, it honestly makes my day.**_

 _ **I am currently working on another story called 'Mortal's Revolution'. (AU, PercyxZoe)**_

 _ **Here's a brief summary:**_

 _ **Mortals, the perfect tool. What better than to have them do your doings. That's what they thought. That is until they start to get dysfunctional. And in Percy's case rebellious. Mayhem grows between the mortals and immortals. After a series of disaster, Percy is tasked to fight off any rebellious group. But one question keeps crossing the man's mind. Was that really the right thing to do?**_

 _ **Check it out if you'd like to. Thanks in advance to those who do.**_

 _ **Also special thanks to...**_

 _ **Yoshi117- Like reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson? You should definitely check his story out.**_

 _ **PrincessOfTheSeas- For those who love romance (PercyxArtemis), go give her story (Nerd's Guide To Popularity) a try.**_

 _ **Tell them I sent you.**_

 _ **That's it. And until next time, have a great day!**_


End file.
